A History In Time
by o.sexynikloveoftherings.o
Summary: 'We dance round in a ring and suppose, But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.' (Robert Frost) 5 year old Niklaus Mikaelson encounters a bewitching stranger in the woods. -Set after 4x19 (Pictures of You). - Features full-fledged Norse mythology.
1. Chapter 1: Of Rings and Elves

**Hello everyone! :) **

**Thank you so much for taking a chance on this story, I truly hope you enjoy it! This plot has been brewing in my head for some time now, and I've done quite a bit of research about the Vikings to incorporate into it. **

**I'll put up more notes at the end of this chapter so that you have a better idea of what this story entails, but what you need to know right now is that this starts taking place at the point of time when I assume Caroline leaves Matt's house after her dance with Tyler, and is mostly set from her viewpoint although I may change that in future chapters. Another thing you will need to know is that the tale of Askr and Embla is from Norse mythology, where they are said to be the first man and woman to be created, and that the word 'Álfar' translates roughly into something like 'Elf' from Old Norse. More about all that later on. See you guys at the bottom! :)**

* * *

**Chapter One: Of Rings and Elves **

"_Even chance meetings are the result of karma… Things in life are fated by our previous lives. That even in the smallest events there's no such thing as coincidence." ― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore _

Light from the streetlamps lining the sidewalks glinted off the gold in her hair as she made her solitary walk towards home. She dragged her feet with every step she took, but who could honestly blame her for having such a lacklustre attitude? Her mother was out on sheriff duties as per usual, and Tyler had skipped town yet again. She was all alone and in no mood to go back to an empty house, refusing to let this night end on such a dismal note. After all, didn't a former Miss Mystic Falls wearing such a lovely and elegant dress deserve a magical ending to her long-awaited Prom Night?

She cast her eyes downward as a mangy cat streaked past her across the pavement, momentarily recollecting that she had to feed (or at least suck some handy blood-bags dry) before she slept tonight. All of a sudden, her gaze fell upon a nondescript grey box lying on the street, the type people may sometimes use to store random pieces of junk, say a thimble or earrings or things like that. Laughing softly at the thoughts whizzing through her head, she bent down and scooped up the box, before proceeding to flick its steel clasp open and peering inside. Surprisingly, the contents of the box seemed too precious to be stored in such an unremarkable container. There was a slender ring which looked like it was carved out of pure white diamond (must be a fake, she thought), and underneath it a thin rectangular slab of marble which had some words engraved on it.

She moved closer to the nearest streetlamp and picked up the ring, intending to read the words on the marble piece, when it suddenly burned hot and she yelped, flinging it away from her fingers. The next few seconds felt like they were being experienced by her underwater and in slow motion, as she watched the ring flip above her head once… twice… and then slide neatly down onto the ring finger of her right hand. She was feeling quite freaked out by now and tried tugging the ring off her finger, but to no avail. The damned piece of jewellery insisted on remaining stuck firmly where it was, resisting even her vampiric strength.

Her patience wearing thin, she snatched the marble slab from the box to see if at least that would provide her with some explanation for her predicament. Holding it up in order to let more light fall upon the tiny letterings, she read out the following verse:

_Askr the first son,_

_Embla the first daughter._

_If you are reading this,_

_You are one or the other._

_Through time and space,_

_Must you be united._

_May the fires of destiny,_

_Now be ignited. _

The moment the last syllable fell past her lips, she disappeared.

* * *

The edges of her conscience prickled. It felt strangely like she was floating on clouds, awakening after a deep and satisfying slumber. Drifting along on this current of mindless repose, she let herself simply _be_.

Peace.

Serenity.

Happiness.

Love.

Slowly but steadily, she started to gain awareness of a tingling sensation in the tips of her toes. _I have toes?_ Gradually, the feeling spread across her feet and continued sweeping upwards, on and on, till it had set her whole body _free_ and sparked her mind. Gasping for breath, she finally opened her eyes. She could feel the acute sting of fresh, cool air on her skin and the dampness of dewy grass underneath soaking through her dress. There was the tinkling sound of water flowing over rocks nearby. _What happened? Where am I?_ Her most recent memories suddenly flashed through her mind, and she scrambled to sit up with a shriek. A peek down confirmed what she had already felt, the wretched ring was still on her finger and the open box was clutched tightly in her other hand. She looked around.

She was in a bloody forest! How on _earth_ had she arrived here? Verdant trees stretched as far as her eyes could see, monstrously huge and far taller than any that she had observed in Mystic Falls so far. She seemed to be in a small clearing of some sort, the only place for miles which did not have giant trees grappling with each other for every square inch of space. Suddenly, she tensed. She could hear the racing heartbeats of some creature in the direction of the flowing water she had detected before, but they did not seem to be fast enough to belong to any animal she knew. Instead, when she focused her senses on that spot, she smelt human blood flowing through the creature's veins!

Darting her eyes towards that side, she was shocked to see a little boy staring back at her, seemingly transfixed by her presence. He was seated on a flat boulder just beside a narrow stream and looked like an exact replica of those cherubic baby Cupids which used to hang inside the Mystic Grill every Valentines' Day, complete with tousled blonde curls, bonnie blue eyes and a white tunic draped around his tiny body. It felt like a dream, and she couldn't stop herself from laughing out loud at the absurdity of this situation. She almost expected him to whip out a tiny bow and heart-tipped arrows next!

His eyes had become wider now; perhaps he was wondering why she was cackling like a deranged lunatic. Slowly, she forced herself to take deep breaths and calm down. With the support of her palms, she pushed herself up from a sitting position into a standing one and gently brushed away all of the dirt present on her dress and in her hair. Luckily, she still seemed to be in a presentable enough state overall, and after closing the clasp on the box (she'd have enough time later on to decipher the verse on the piece of marble), she walked towards the boy who had not uttered even a squeak the entire time.

"Hello there, my name is Caroline. Do you mind telling me where we are exactly? I don't remember coming to this place."

He shook his head slightly, as if dispelling a dream, before replying. "Are you an Álfar of Freyja or Sól? I can't quite decide. Mother told me that the álfr of Freyja are beautiful like her, but the álfr of Sól are full of light like _her_. So who among them do you belong to?"

_Was this little tyke actually _flirting _with her?_ "O…K… kid, why don't we simply avoid questions best answered by Sherlock and start with the little things first? Just how old are you? Oh and what's your name?"

Puffing up his little chest, he proudly declared, "I am Niklaus Mikaelson. I don't know anyone by the name of Sherlock, but maybe I can answer your questions for him instead! Mother says I am a big boy because I am already five years old, so I can definitely help you!"

She felt like throwing up. Her ears were ringing, surely she must have heard wrong. Maybe there were other _Niklaus Mikaelsons_ in the world? Of course there must be. She could have a good laugh with Stefan and Bonnie later on; imagine the irony of a cute human boy sharing the same name as the most powerful and vicious hybrid in the world! Smiling at him, she continued forth, "Well _Niklaus_, I feel very privileged to make the acquaintance of such a handsome big boy. Now that we know each other's names, do you mind answering my very first question? You know… the one about our current location?"

Grinning back at her, he responded. "We are in Markland, some distance away from my village. Did the gods send you to take care of us?"

Getting increasingly confused and slightly panicky, she reminded herself to keep a level tone of voice. "Look here Niklaus, I'm not sure why but you've got a misconception. I'm no divine creature (the very _opposite_ in fact, not that it was any of his business) and I've certainly not been sent by any gods. Why would you even think that? And secondly, I have not heard of any place called Markland in all my life. Now I should have guessed from your clothes that you're obviously playing some sort of dress-up game, but fun time's over kid. Will you please tell me where we really are?"

His tiny brows getting more and more deeply furrowed the longer she went on, he narrowed his eyes at her and shot right back, "I'm not a liar! And I'm not playing any games, I know what I saw! I was sitting here quietly when you just appeared in a flash of light on the grass over there, and _you're_ the one obviously lying because you are wearing a beautiful dress just like the álfr Mother tells me about!"

She was getting really terrified now. "What's your mother's name, Niklaus?"

"Esther."

The world spun black.

* * *

_Something clear and cold was coursing through her. Surging up from the millions of tips at her base and rushing towards the swaying shapes above. There was another current flowing right next to this one, only in the opposite direction, as tiny particles left the shapes and moved downwards to the tips. This was her world, the extent of her awareness. _

_But the air swirling around her was shifting. A deep voice suddenly rumbled, "önd". She was encompassed by brilliant white; it seared through her entire being, infusing her with life yet simultaneously cutting her to the point of almost unbearable pain, till it finally stopped. Before she could so much as _inhale_, yet another voice boomed out, "óðr". Ecstacy soared through her. For the very first time, she understood what she was. The trunk of a tree. Finally, a last voice, this one not as deep in timbre as the others, washed over her, "lá". The sensory rush which instantly blazed through her nearly made her black out. _

_Silently, she blinked her eyes open. _Eyes!_ She had not experienced sight before. Full of wonder, she looked at herself. She was shaped oddly, with a slim body nowhere as huge as her previous self, _breasts _that protruded out above her _stomach_ and ten _fingers _and ten _toes_ at her tips. The sheer amount of new knowledge thundering through her _brain_ was terribly exhausting. Slowly, she noticed that there was a _man_ next to her going through the same motions. He was tugging experimentally at his _penis _(why was she _blushing _at the thought?) when he caught sight of her and his jaw dropped. They gazed at each other in silence, waiting, anticipating._

_Loud laughter startled them. The man instinctively moved in front of her, defensive. She remained stunned, trying to peep over his well-muscled back and nearly getting distracted by the riot of golden locks adorning his head. There was a trio of men looking amusedly at them, all three much taller than the man by her side and who seemed to shine with some inner light. The tallest one in the middle, with a fearsome appearance mostly due to his single piercing eye and thick grizzled beard, spoke up._

"_Our greetings to you, humans. You (directing his gaze on her man) shall be called Askr, while you (looking straight at her) shall be named Embla. I am Odin, leader of the Gods and both of you, the first man and first woman, shall henceforth also be known as the first son and first daughter of this earth, the realm of Midgard. Remember us, me and my brothers Vili and Ve. Pray to us, and you shall receive all the joy and comforts you ask for. Now go forth, and may this world reverberate with the laughter and love of your offspring!" _

_She watched astonished as the three of them vanished into thin air. The man, _Askr _she remembered, took his time circling around to face her. She gulped, her heart pumping erratically in her chest and a wild fire overtaking her senses, as his feral eyes bore into her with what could only be described as a look of pure _hunger_._

* * *

She yelled out loud as ice cold water drenched her, rudely jolting her awake from her dreams. Leaping up and scrubbing her eyes dry, her face transformed into its vampiric avatar as she snarled at the person who had dared to assault her. Niklaus looked petrified as he held his soaking tunic tied into a makeshift vessel in both hands, and opened his mouth to scream. Coming quickly to her senses, Caroline zoomed towards him and firmly covered his mouth with one hand, before looking into his eyes and compelling him, "Forget what you just saw. You threw the water on me and I jumped up in fright, that's all."

Feeling slightly guilty about what she had just done, she altered her face back to its normal appearance and let him go. Blinking a few times, Niklaus's gaze refocused on hers and he smiled reassuringly. "Don't be scared Caroline, I just wanted to help. You fainted for some reason, so I remembered what Mother does to help Bera when she faints."

She didn't quite know how to respond. She remembered having a strange vision when she fainted, though the details were all murky now, and she almost wished she was still in her dream world instead of having to face reality where she had somehow time travelled more than ten centuries into the past. Furthermore, it was so hard to reconcile the image of him as a ruthless devil terrorising all her friends in Mystic Falls with that of this sweet child here. Then again, she _had_ started to consider him her friend back in her time, so she knew that he was not solely composed of all evil. Smiling gently down at him, she asked, "Thank you for assisting me. Who is Bera? A relative of yours?"

"Oh no, she's just one of the villagers who Mother says has weak blood. She keeps fainting if she works too hard at home or during the harvest season."

She realised the woman might be anaemic, and it must be hard to survive in this time where people didn't really have biology classes and may be unaware that a lack of sufficient red blood cells were the cause of her problem. Sobered by this grim reminder of just where she was, she mused over the mystery of how she was able to converse with young Klaus in the first place. Perhaps it all tied back to the valuable ring on her finger and that gibberish on the marble slab. Deciding that her best bet would be to seek Esther's help (after all, wasn't she the Original witch?) since she was severely out of any other viable options at the moment, she rapidly formulated a plan in her mind. She would have to be evasive about her past of course, at least until she was completely sure she could fully trust Esther, so she set about improvising on a background story using an idea that Niklaus had unwittingly gifted her with when he first spoke to her. She felt surprisingly invigorated, _this_ was her element—planning, gathering her resources and lying when required, so she beamed at the boy who was patiently waiting for her to speak and laid her bait.

"I can see that you are a very smart and good boy, Niklaus, so I shall let you in on a little secret of mine. _(Moving closer to him and whispering) _I am indeed an immortal companion of…. Freyja (she couldn't really remember the other name he mentioned, and boy was she glad that she was genuinely immortal, she _knew_ there were perks to being a bloodsucker!). I am sorry to have lied about that to you before, but you see, I have to be very careful because not just _anyone_ can be trusted to keep my identity secret. The gods have sent me here to ask for some help from a talented witch in this area, could you please help me find her? You will definitely be blessed for this."

Little Klaus looked thrilled beyond words. "My mother is an apprentice to a witch! She says her mentor Ayanna is the most powerful witch in the world! Shall I take you to her?"

Well that was certainly interesting! It had utterly slipped past her mind until now that Bonnie once said that the reason Esther had wanted her and Abby's help to kill her children was because they were direct descendants of Ayanna. Feeling quite curious and excited at the same time to meet her best friend's ancestor, she nodded at Niklaus and transferred the box to her right hand before taking hold of his in her left. He was giddy with delight as he led her towards the village, clearly elated at having such a radiant and gentle (or so he thought) angel at his side, and made full use of the opportunity to chatter on at high speed as they wended their way through the dense forest.

"Just wait till Elijah and Finn find out who you are! Oh but it's our secret isn't it, so I guess I can't tell them… no matter, they'll be steaming with envy anyway when they see I have such a _beautiful_ friend! You're my friend aren't you? I'm so stupid, _of course_ you are, you told me your secret! I'll tell you one too so we can be even… I accidentally broke Elijah's favourite comb when I dropped it on the floor yesterday, but please don't tell him that! I arranged the pieces carefully on his bench though, so he thought he had broken it in his sleep when he got up today morning. I want to tell him the truth, but I'm scared Father will beat me if he finds out…" His mouth turned down and he became silent.

Feeling really bad for him (she remembered how harsh and cruel Mikael had been even in her time); she tried to distract his troubled thoughts. "Hey Niklaus, remember you just said that we're friends? I wanted to tell you that you can call me Care whenever you want, that's what my friends like to call me!"

His eyes lit up and he looked so happy that she couldn't help but grin cheesily back at him. "Care! That's a nice name! _(Thinking for a moment) _But I still think Caroline is a prettier name so I'll call you that if you don't mind. You can call me Nik. Mother wanted to name me Aaron at first after my older brother who died before I was born, but Father named me Niklaus instead."

Yet another detail that she had completely forgotten! The very reason why Mikael and Esther had migrated to North America was the plague that had killed their eldest son. In the span of a few hours, she was finding out more about Klaus than she had in the past several months. She couldn't help but speculate about all the other mysterious facets which remained uncovered about the complicated hybrid she had left behind in Mystic Falls, and suddenly felt a pang of sadness that she had never taken a chance on him.

Yes, it was indisputable that he had done some truly awful deeds, like causing the deaths of Jenna Sommers and Carol Lockwood and trying repeatedly to kill Elena and Tyler, but was the Scooby Doo gang really in any position to point fingers at him? She imagined Damon or Stefan alone may have made as many, if not more, kills as Klaus would have in the same period of time, and with the way Elena was behaving lately, even _she _felt like turning psycho and snapping her neck at times. Moreover, by murdering Kol, Elena and Jeremy had probably caused more deaths than Klaus had in his entire life, though the fact that they did not have to directly witness any of those deaths may have made them feel absolved from having to face the reality of that terrible situation. She felt more and more horrified the longer she pondered over the similarities between Klaus and her bunch of friends. They had all (including her) been so hypocritical when judging him, so sure that there was no excuse for any of his wrongdoings, that they had forgotten they were no saints either. This did not mean that Klaus was right in all that he did, but who were _they_ really to have such power as to judge him?

"What are you thinking about, Caroline?"

Startled from her silent reverie, she took a few seconds to answer. "I was thinking about my friends."

"You mean the other álfr of Freyja? Do they help the gods like you do too?"

She smiled. "Well, we all _like_ to think that we're helping. We seem to keep working to prevent one calamity happening after the other in order to save the world we know."

"And do you manage to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Save the world?"

She turned to look at him; his eyes were so very _blue_ and trusting. "Sometimes we succeed, but there are times when we fail because we misinterpret the problem. Sometimes the problem actually lies within us, because we refuse to alter the way we think. It takes a special sort of power to have the strength and bravery to change oneself from the inside."

"So you have a special power? That's so lucky!"

She was really enjoying bantering with him far more than she should. "I don't like to brag, but I can sense certain truths about people around me."

"What can you sense about me?"

She pretended to examine his upturned face thoroughly, gliding her fingers gently along his jaw line and chubby cheeks, before tucking some of those unruly golden curls carefully behind his ear. "Besides Elijah and Finn whom you've already mentioned, you have two other younger siblings called Kol and Rebekah."

He looked awed beyond words. "You _do_ have special powers!"

Gazing more intently at him, she went on. "I also know that it is most unusual for a little boy like you to be all alone by yourself in the woods so far from home, so what's your story Nik?"

His face became serious and he looked at her silently for several moments. She realised that they had stopped walking some time ago when she was preoccupied with her own thoughts, and could feel the stillness of the forest creeping over them.

Finally, he seemed to come to a decision and opened his mouth. "I wanted to watch the little silver fish swimming in the stream."

_That _was supposed to be his big secret? She nearly rolled her eyes before she realised that he was just a _child_ after all, not the baffling grown-up hybrid she had known before. "And you couldn't do this anywhere near your house?"

Pink dotted his cheeks as he looked down, ashamed. "Father says that boys who spend their time mooning after fish are no better than weaklings, even more stupid than girls. So I came here by myself when he was busy and wouldn't notice my absence."

She frowned at that, of course Mikael was behind this! "Now look here Nik, your father is the one who's being foolish. Wanting to watch fish swimming does _not_ make anyone weak! On top of that, you boys would all be fortunate to be so much as even _half_ as intelligent as us girls are, so please get such _ridiculous_ notions out of your head!"

"Do you genuinely believe that I'm not a weakling?"

"I used to love watching fish swim when I was younger. And do I in any way look weak to you?"

Visibly brightening at her comment, he said, "No, of course not! Besides, you _are_ one of Freyja's álfr after all, so you wouldn't lie to me. I believe you!"

Sheer happiness warmed her heart. He was just so sweet and so very _innocent_, that she couldn't help but be charmed by him. "You know what… let's keep this our little secret Nik. Your father may be angry if he thinks you're disobeying him, but we both know that what he says is not true, so you can rest assured that you're not doing anything wrong."

They grinned at each other and she squeezed his hand tightly.

All good things have to come to an end, however, and this situation was certainly no exception to the rule. As she held his hand, she could literally _feel_ the blood flowing through the veins in his palm, and was regrettably provided with a stark reminder of just how _thirsty_ she was. She had not managed to drink any blood before arriving here, and she had best take care of this problem first before she felt any more tempted to drain him dry. Her pupils dilated as she caught his gaze and commanded him, "Stay here and do _not_ move from this spot. I'm going to take care of something and be back in a short while, don't be afraid."

He nodded his head in compliance. Feeling keenly the irony that she was able to compel someone who would one day transform into the Original Hybrid immune to compulsion, she waited for him to sit down on the forest floor before she hitched her dress up and zipped off.

* * *

_She let her supernatural senses overtake her as she ran, the scents of the forest swirling under her nose. It was slightly surprising to find out just how few animals she could actually detect here. In such a vast forest, wasn't it unnatural to have such a shortage of fauna? Especially so because she was sure that humans had not yet wrecked nature on a massive scale in this time period. However, she decided to dwell upon such matters later. The most important thing now was for her to feed. _

_Silently extending her fangs, she snuck behind a tree as she heard the life-force of a large animal pumping through its bloodstream nearby. Peeking around surreptitiously, her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when she beheld the magnificent beast before her. She had not seen its like before, but it clearly belonged to the deer family. Standing nearly as tall as her shoulder, it carried at least 700 pounds over her and owned a truly monstrous rack of antlers nearly five feet in length, which it was currently sharpening against the trunk of another tree. _

_She would have normally thought twice before slaying such a superb specimen of God's creation, but her throat was parched and she knew she _had _to drink unless she wanted to end up losing control of her bloodlust in Nik's village. Opting to just get the dirty deed over and done with, she pounced upon the animal and utilised her considerable strength to hack its head off in a single stroke with one hand (she wasn't about to prolong its suffering), before eagerly sinking her fangs into its exposed veins. She drank and drank till she was damn well near exploding, before finally unlatching herself from the beast and licking her blood-stained lips. _

_All of a sudden, a blood-curdling scream ripped through the air, "CAROLINE!" _

_She tore through the forest to reach him__._

* * *

They were unmistakably werewolves, their stench assaulting her senses from miles off. She burst through the surrounding trees and clutched Nik tightly to herself, examining him to ensure that he had not been hurt. "Don't worry Nik, I'm here now."

Once she assured herself that he was physically unharmed, she turned towards the two strangers standing before them and snarled. "Who the bloody HELL do you think you _are_, scaring a little boy like that?"

The younger of the two snarled back. "We should be asking _you_ the same question, woman. This is our property and neither of you belongs here, so just what do you think you're doing on our grounds?"

Oh god, they were on wolf land? Trying to regain her composure and praying that Nik would remain silent and let her handle this, she tried to reply as calmly as possible. "I am _so_ sorry; I honestly had no idea that this was your territory. I was simply trying to take this boy back to his village because he was lost in the forest."

The men continued eyeing her with grave suspicion. She was extremely glad that no other vampires had been created yet in this time; otherwise she suspected they would have hunted her through half the forest by now. Perhaps they subconsciously still recognised her to be a sworn enemy though, for they did not look like they would let her and Nik go anytime soon. Desperate to escape from this unwanted predicament, she started weaving a contingency plan in her head.

Before anything further happened though, a third man emerged from amongst the nearest thicket of trees and joined the first two. "And what is going on here?"

Her heart stuttered in shock. Tall of stature with steely blue eyes, long blonde hair tied into braids and an authoritative mien, this man was a dead ringer for an older and more weathered version of Klaus. His own gaze had dropped upon Nik, and a hint of surprise followed by nostalgic longing appeared in his eyes.

The younger man who had spoken to her bent his head slightly before answering the newcomer. "Chief, the woman claims that they did not mean to trespass upon our lands, and that the pup was lost in the woods and she was merely taking him home. Seems like a pretty flimsy lie if you ask me. Those people from the village are always overstepping their boundaries. I vote we skin them both alive and leave them to rot here, perhaps then they'll all finally get the message to leave us alone!"

"ENOUGH!" 'Chief' was clearly not amused. "You want me to kill an innocent child and a young woman when they have done no wrong, and were simply attempting to make their way home? Time and again have I reminded you Hal, that these humans have not been created to become your playthings. I am sick and tired of your repeated mistakes. The next time I hear similar nonsense from you, I'll string you up by your ankles and we'll see if the increased blood flow to your head will grant you greater intelligence. Is that understood?"

Thoroughly chastised and humiliated, Hal looked down at his feet and muttered a low noise to signal his concordance. Caroline did a brief victory dance in her head.

'Chief' looked at her directly this time and spoke. "I don't know who you are and I do not for a single minute believe that you are from the boy's village, but I trust that you will ensure his safety?"

She looked back at him intently. "I promise that I will take good care of him."

Nodding gruffly, he cleared his throat. "Well… what are you both waiting for? Get out of here and don't come back unless you intend to be part of my next supper."

Offering him a grateful smile, she locked fingers with Nik once more, and they walked towards the village as his true father's eyes trailed after them.

* * *

**Well… what did you all think of that? Hopefully it all made sense but anyway here's a list of notes that should help. Please read through everything even though I tend to be longwinded, but it's important information. **

**1. Yes, Caroline is still a vampire here and I will be making her go on an adventure of self-discovery on her own in future chapters, because I think she deserves to explore the world and grow up a bit before she falls in love with Niklaus. **

**2. This will not be a speedy romance, but I promise not to prolong angst and create problems unnecessarily for the characters. **

**3. The ring scene was inspired from The Hobbit movie! :) Having said that, the Vikings used to believe that time is circular and can be rewritten, so I'd like to have your opinions on whether in this timeline you want me rehash the love triangle between Klaus-Tatia-Elijah or if I can take this in a new direction.**

**4. The reason why Caroline can understand Nik will be explained next chapter, and some of the words I use are in Old Norse because that means they do not really have equivalent translations in English. The ones I've used here are 'álfr' which roughly translates into 'elves', 'Markland' which stands for 'the land of forests', 'önd' which means breath/spirit/life, 'óðr' for ecstacy/inspiration/understanding and 'lá' for senses and outward appearance/ vital processes and health. **

**5. Freyja is the Viking goddess of love and beauty while Sól is the Sun goddess, so she is literally the goddess of light. **

**6. The Mikaelson children's ages here will be something like this: Elijah-8, Finn-7, Niklaus-5, Kol-3, Rebekah-2 and Henrik will be born as a surprise baby 9 years later. **

**7. In what I found online, Esther really was the apprentice of the world's most powerful witch, Ayanna, during her first years in America, and Aaron was the name of the son she lost to the plague.**

**8. In Norse mythology, Odin and his two brothers fashioned Ask and Embla from two tree trunks that had washed up onto the beach of the landmass the gods had recently raised out of the primordial waters. I have however obviously modified the story to meet my own ends and will continue to meddle with the legends as this story becomes increasingly AU. **

**9. Nik may seem too smart at times or too trusting of Caroline here, but I like to think that he was a precocious child and also that he is currently in awe of her because he thinks of her as a divine being. This will definitely change in later chapters, especially when he grows up and finds out that she has been lying to him. **

**10. Similarly for Caroline, she may seem too calm here for an 18 year old girl who's just been ripped out of her world, but this will not be her permanent state of mind. **

**11. The animal which Caroline saw was the Eastern Elk, it is now an extinct species. **

**I hope I've covered all the points, please feel free to ask me any other questions you all have. This story does not have a beta so far, but if any of you would like to help me please let me know. I'd also be extremely grateful if anyone could help spread the word about this elsewhere or help me create a story image because I don't have Twitter or Tumblr and am hopeless at creating images. Thank you all so much! **

**I'll be updating regularly every Friday Singapore time, which may be Thursdays in the US. Each chapter will be between 4500 to 5500 words. **

**Cheers,**_Christine Rose _


	2. Of Longhouses and Witches (Part 1)

**A/N: A BIG thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited or followed! Really made my day guys! :) For this chapter, you need to know that Nótt is night personified, and the grandmother of Thor. And before I forget…**

**General disclaimer:**** Anything you recognize is not mine. **

* * *

**Chapter Two: Of Longhouses and Witches (Part One)**

_"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but 'actually' from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly... timey-wimey... stuff." ― Steven Moffat_

Nótt would soon be embarking upon her daily ride, navigating the vast plains of the night sky on her sable steed. He hauled himself up, landing lightly on the topmost branch of the aging tree, eager to behold the impending sunset from as best a vantage point as possible.

Sól had always had an inexplicable hold over him; his mother frequently claimed that even as a wee babe, he only stopped squalling if she placed him on a blanket under the open sky, his eyes unblinkingly trained on the scorching orb above. Perhaps that accounted for the crimson tints in his hair, which he was exceedingly proud of by the way, since it made him feel strong, warm and _alive_- just like the fiery sun goddess.

He sustained this belief with a fierce sort of desperation, one that almost called for pity. The seed of this childish conviction was probably sown due to an intense longing for love. His hair was the one thing that set him apart from the rest of his siblings, without it he often felt like he could fade into oblivion and no one would even notice. Kol and Bekah certainly never called his name out first in times of distress; that honour always seemed to belong to _Elijah _or _Nik_. Although he would never admit to envying them out loud, this partiality cut him deep. What did the other two have which he didn't?

He craved attention; he would give up just about anything to have even one person in his family care for and _need_ his presence above that of all others. He was the only one among all the children who obeyed both Mikael and Esther implicitly and unquestioningly, yet he often sensed that he was also the one least loved. This could be perceived as too melancholic or pessimistic an outlook for a seven year old, perhaps, but it was the truth. Both his parents had visible favourites: Mikael loved Elijah (in his own way) for being his surviving firstborn and a naturally smart boy, as well as Rebekah for being his golden girl. Kol at three was proving to be a devious devil, but like all other impish toddlers, this quality simply served to endear him to both his parents. As for Nik, it was no small secret that he was the darling of Esther's heart; the more Mikael scorned and belittled him, the more Esther's tenderness and love for him bloomed.

In short, his existence was the only one that felt superfluous in the family. Sure, Mikael did try to spend time on teaching him how to swordfight, but most of the time his mind lay elsewhere. His mother used to dote on him; her 'shining sun' she used to call him, but that was before Nik was born. Don't get him wrong, he loved his little brother all right, but sometimes it tore him up to have to stand by and watch Nik replace him in his mother's affections.

So he tried his best nowadays to ignore the festering ache in his heart. Instead, he started to finish all his regular chores swiftly, before escaping to his tree of solitude where he spent his time admiring the sun before it set. After all, Sól had been the one constant loving presence in his life, and he would make full use of any opportunity to repay her in kind with his own love and attention.

Suddenly, he was startled when he spotted two people emerge from the nearby forest. As they passed by his hiding spot, he recognised Nik, although the lady beside him was clearly a stranger. He must have let out a sound, because the woman looked up and peered curiously at him. Nik noticed this and followed her gaze, before breaking out into a dimpled grin. "FINN! Come down here and meet my new friend!"

* * *

She had sadly reverted back to her old neurotic self, inwardly experiencing a massive panic attack about having to finally face Nik's family. She would have to be extremely cautious and actively avoid all physical contact, especially with Esther or Ayanna; after all, witches had the uncanny ability of figuring people out through the simple power of touch. She prayed to every single god she knew (and even added some benevolent ghosts into the mix) for a miracle that would enable these witches to send her back home.

The Viking village was proving to be a most welcome and pleasant distraction to her worries though; it was nothing at all like what she had pictured in her head. Instead of consisting of a smattering of huts fashioned from prickly straw or sticks (the Three Little Pigs imagery made her smile), the landscape was dominated by several rectangular Longhouses set against the magical backdrop of the evening sky. They seemed to have been carved out of the very earth itself, the rich browns of the wooden walls bursting with the vitality of nature. Tiny clusters of multi-hued blooms peeked out from behind sinuous vines, forming a living and breathing tapestry which draped around the outer walls of the homes. It honestly felt like she had stumbled upon some exotic resort secreted away in the middle of the woods, and she found herself actually looking forward to _entering_ one of these surreal villas.

Finn Mikaelson was walking silently by her side. She didn't really know what to make of him as he had not spoken one word to her after they had exchanged their initial greetings. Nik, however, was certainly making up for that by talking nineteen to the dozen. "There is enough space if you want to stay with us for a while! My father is Chief of the village, so we don't share our house with too many other families. Our family's place is just beside the central hearth because of our higher status, of course, while Ayanna and her daughter Dalla are situated nearby. The Pavlovs stay further away from the fire, but Mother likes having them around just the same because they used to be friends of her parents."

She almost jumped out of her skin when Finn suddenly interjected. "The Pavlovs are an elderly couple and Father doesn't usually like others to join us in the house, but Vasil Pavlov is an excellent Hnefatafl player, so he doesn't really mind their presence. I don't think he will let _you_ stay, however."

Nik scowled fiercely at him. "Stop frightening her, Finn! She needs Ayanna's help for… well, something… so I'm sure Mother will ask Father to let her stay a while with us. Besides, Father has not gone on any voyages for quite some time, so he'll be glad to have a guest who can provide us with some fresh news from elsewhere."

Finn simply nodded and said no more. They approached a massive Longhouse situated right in the middle of the village, where she could make out the scents of roasting meat and the sounds of merrymaking occurring within. The two boys entered while she hovered around the doorway awkwardly. Nik turned around, puzzled. "Whatever are you waiting for, Caroline? Come on in!"

That invitation certainly made life easier! She crossed the threshold and gaped openly as the three of them made their way further inside. The whole place resembled a magnified version of a sauna, complete with a continuous row of wide wooden benches set into the walls, extending around the circumference of the entire house. The air around them gradually became toastier as they reached the central fire, where four children were running around playing and two women were laughing gaily, seated amidst the thick furs covering the nearby benches.

Nik bounded up to the younger woman, engulfing her in a huge hug. "NIK! Where on _earth_ have you been, you naughty boy? I saw Finn climbing his favourite tree so I was not too worried about him, but you've been gone the whole afternoon and almost the entire evening! I was almost going to send your father a message at the forge to see if he knew where you were!"

The other children had all clustered around Nik by now, and one of the girls (could that seriously be _Rebekah_ Mikaelson? She looked so cute!) clamoured for Nik to kiss the spot where she'd injured her little finger. The other woman looked at Caroline. "Who is this?"

It was rather surprising to note that Finn had remained at her side, and she was even more astonished when he replied for her. "This is Caroline, Nik's new friend. He met her in the forest and she needs your help for something, Ayanna, that's why he brought her here."

"You went to the FOREST by _yourself_, Niklaus!? How many times must I tell you that it's not a safe place?" The younger woman (definitely Esther) put her hands on her hips and glared at him. The other children fell silent as Nik went red with shame and stared down at his feet.

"I am very sorry Mother, I won't do it again. But I was safe there; even when some men from the wolves' village found me, Caroline was there to protect me."

She blushed uncomfortably as all eyes fell to her. Esther studied her intently. "Well, it seems I have you to thank for my son's wellbeing. Nik, go and wash yourself up. I'll talk to you again later. The rest of you, please go and wake the Pavlovs for dinner. Ayanna and I will talk to our guest in the meantime."

The children scattered and Esther gestured for her to take a seat on the benches. She did so and twisted her hands in her lap as she waited for one of them to speak. Esther went first. "While I appreciate your helping my son, what were you doing in the woods…"

"Caroline Forbes, you can call me Caroline."

"Alright then, _Caroline, _my name is Esther Mikaelson and this is my friend and mentor Ayanna. Once more, what were you doing there and where are you from? There aren't many people who dress as richly as you around these parts, and I'm curious as to what kind of help you require from Ayanna."

"I come from a place called Mystic Falls, though you've probably not heard of it before. As to the aid I require, I would be extremely grateful if you would let me speak to Ayanna in private."

Esther didn't look too happy about that, but Ayanna caught her gaze and they held a silent conversation for a few moments before Esther nodded. "I'll leave you both to it then."

* * *

Despite all of her previous misgivings, she had told Ayanna everything, her guards somehow falling down as she looked into the warm hazel eyes which reminded her so much of Bonnie and made her instinctively feel like she could trust this woman with her secrets. Ayanna had seemed shocked when she learnt about what Esther had done to make her family immortal, but she seemed to understand that this was Caroline's way of life now and that she would do her best not to cause harm to anyone. Right now Ayanna was examining the ring on her hand and the marble slab, tracing her fingers slowly across the engraved words.

After some time, she fixed Caroline with a grave expression. "From what I can see, both the ring and the marble piece have been enchanted with powerful spells. Do you know who Askr and Embla are?"

"Nope, no idea."

"We believe that they were the first two humans to be created by the gods, namely Odin and his brothers. Originally the trunks of two trees the gods found by the seashore, it is their destiny to repopulate the reborn world one day. According to the verse on the marble, you are a reincarnation of Embla, and the ring has sent you through time and space to find your Askr."

Well that was just great. Apparently her destiny was to be a breeding cow. "Where is my so-called _mate_ then? And while we're on this subject, how am I able to talk to and understand all of you? I'm _pretty_ sure that Viking language was never top priority in our school curriculum."

"What do you mean by _school _or _curriculum_?I honestly cannot understand what you say sometimes. Anyway, what we speak is called the Norse language and the markings on the marble here are called runes. I think it has been enchanted to ensure that Askr and Embla can read the words in whatever language is most familiar to them in their new bodies, and that must also be helping you to communicate with us here."

"I think there's been a big mistake then. I am a vampire so I most certainly cannot procreate, and there's no Askr visible here as well. Could you please figure out a way to send me home instead?"

Ayanna was stumped. "That is definitely surprising, how can you be Embla if you cannot bear children? I will try my best to help you but I cannot make false promises. The magic used on these items is extremely complex and I will need time to work it out. I don't know why the ring brought you here; it was supposed to bring Askr and Embla together. Who was the first person you met when you arrived?"

"It was Nik." She shook away the unwelcome notions that were creeping into her head… _could it be possible that he was…NO!_ "But that just proves that this is utter nonsense, there's no way he's going to be a father at this age!"

Ayanna laughed. "Yes, I do believe you're right. Look, it's getting late and I'm sure you are exhausted after such a long and eventful day. You told me that you've already fed, so I think it'll be best if I give you some of my clothes to wear before you go to sleep. Mikael will be back soon and I don't think you're in the best state of mind to talk to him. It's a good thing that you are immortal, I'll be able to create a convincing lie for both him and Esther; perhaps we should continue the charade of you being an álfar of Freyja so that they'll be amenable to your presence here."

"About that, what exactly is an álfar of Freyja?"

"Oh, I forgot that you wouldn't know that! Álfr are divine beings, the servants and companions of specific gods or goddesses. In this case, Freyja is our goddess of love and beauty, and you definitely look like you are one of her companions, so it should be easy enough for you to play that role."

They grinned at each other. "Thank you for the compliment Ayanna! I think I'll take you up on your offer of clothing and rest because I really need to sleep over all of this, it's a bit too much to take in."

"Alright, follow me then. I'll keep the marble slab with me and we can look for a place to hide it later."

Ayanna led her out the main door and they walked towards some outhouses a slight distance away. "We have separate rooms here, one for Mikael and Esther when they wish to sleep together without disturbing the children, one for bathing and washing our clothes, and one for storing grains and foodstuff. We also have a separate shed where we keep all our animals."

She was taken to what was apparently their 'bathroom', and Ayanna gave her a woollen dress dyed navy-blue as well as some oval-shaped steel brooches to hold the outfit together. Lastly, she was pointed out some woollen boots which lay against one of the walls. "These are all my things, I hope they fit you. I'll stay outside while you wash up and change, please let me know if you need any help."

She groaned when she looked down at herself. Her beautiful dress had patches of blood on it from her carelessness while drinking blood from that deer earlier, but the others must have ignored it because her long walk with Nik had added small leaves and mud from the undergrowth of the forest into the mix, so it just looked like normal travel stains. She decided to continue wearing all of her jewellery since she didn't really know where else to keep it, but removed her dress and tried using the buckets of water on the floor and what looked like a slab of natural soap to wash it as best as possible on the scrubbing stones nearby. It was like being trapped on an episode of The Flintstones.

She sighed when she could do no more and left the dress to dry on one of the stones. Next, she took a quick cold bath using the remaining water and soap, and dried herself using some kind of linen towel she found on a wooden seat nearby. She changed into Ayanna's clothes and managed to stick her feet into the slightly small boots, before going back outside.

"I've left my dress to dry in there, is that alright?"

"Yes, that is fine. I will bring it to you tomorrow morning. Come on, I'll arrange some fur blankets for you close to the area where my daughter Dalla and I sleep, we can talk more in the morning. Don't worry, I'll sort everything out with Mikael and Esther by the time you wake up. Esther may be higher in status than me, but I am still her senior in terms of witchcraft, so she will believe whatever I say."

She was most grateful for that, it had been a positively draining day and all she longed for now was a good night's sleep.

* * *

_Her scalp tingled as she sensed his burning gaze at the back of her head. Her husband, it seemed, was truly insatiable. They were currently being hosted at a magnificent feast at Asgard, courtesy of the god Odin. He was extremely pleased with them for following his instructions to the letter, and had started to send frequent invitations for them to dine at the table of the gods. _

_Askr, however, was currently starving for something other than food. He had been placed between the gods Freyr and Iðunn, and Freyr was chewing his head off with mundane talk about how the latest weather conditions on Midgard heralded the coming of a bountiful harvest. _

_She smiled slyly as she nodded at the goddess Skaði, who was regaling her with tales of her numerous adventures on the wintery slopes of the Asgardian Mountains. Very slowly, she twirled a long lock of silken hair around her index finger, grazing past her ear and tracing the smooth lines of her neck before sliding further down, softly brushing against her collarbone. She could almost hear the rumbling growl erupting from his throat at this point. _

_Giggling inwardly, she continued playing her 'little innocent' act, settling her fingers along the neckline of her dress. He deserved to be teased all right, especially after the torment he'd put her through in the woods that afternoon. _

_She had been simply minding her own business, strolling along silently and immersing herself in the peaceful ambience of the deep forest, when she spotted him practicing with the new weapon that the god Týr had gifted him with. A bow with arrows, he called it. _

_Askr's eyes had caught hers, a slow heat beginning to simmer between them. _

_"Come here," he murmured, gesturing to the space between his outstretched arms. She moved as asked, gently ensconcing herself within his light embrace. _

_"I'm going to teach you how to shoot. First, you have to correct your stance." Her heart thrummed as his right hand gripped her inner thigh, parting her legs and cunningly inserting one of his own between them. _

_He continued whispering further instructions, his lips nonchalantly caressing her ear._

_"Clutch the bow." She trembled. _

_"Loosen your shoulders." She ached to let her head fall back against him. _

_"Nock the arrow." His fingers tangled with hers, righting her hold. _

_"Raise the bow…aim." She did her best to focus on her target tree; her toes curling as his hand lightly skimmed her side, landing on the curve of her hip. _

_"Now… release." The arrow soared and hit. She was ready to pounce on him. _

_He stroked her thigh as she swivelled around, the air smouldering around them. But that was before his lips lifted in a sinful smirk and his eyes gleamed wickedly at her. "Excellent work as usual, my dear. You are such a fast and… _attentive_… learner. I'll arrange another lesson soon." _

_And he just left her like that, slinging the bow and quiver of arrows over his shoulder before walking towards their home. She had to resort to lying down on the forest floor, crying out his name wildly as her frenzied fingers delivered her to heaven. _

_Yes, she was definitely going to teach _him_ a lesson now; he should know better than to toy with her. _

_Suddenly, someone occupied the empty seat to her left. She turned and was puzzled to see a stranger leering at her. He looked like a true son of the shadows, adorned with a shaggy mane of thick black hair, a tanned complexion and deep brown eyes harbouring a world of darkness within them._

_At her other side, Skaði noticed his presence and greeted him. "Fenrir! You have not graced us with your presence for some time." _

_He grinned at her, baring his sharp canines in the process. "I was busy. But I do feel sorry for myself if this is what I've been missing out on in my absence. Won't you introduce me to the young one here?"_

_"Embla, this is Fenrir, the son of Loki and a monstrous wolf." She must have noticed the alarm in her eyes, because she laughed. "I do apologise. What I meant was that he can turn into a wolf whenever he wants, but he is definitely not in that form now. Fenrir, this is Embla. Odin created her and her husband Askr to populate Midgard." _

_"It is a real pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lady." She broke out in cold sweat as the wolf god placed his lips on the back of her hand. Something didn't feel right here. She could feel Askr's rage literally boring into the man beside her. She had to escape, right now. _

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed that! :) Sorry about splitting this chapter, I have my SAT tomorrow so I'll edit and post the next part either during the weekend or on Monday. Some notes for now…**

**1. Forgot to mention last chapter that combs are the most found Viking artifacts, cleanliness was a major thing for Vikings, that's why I made Nik mention breaking Elijah's comb.**

**2. The beginning of this chapter is my way of exploring the reasons why Finn hated becoming a vampire, his love for the sun would have been cruelly affected by it. I hope it made sense. **

**3. The benches in Longhouses doubled as beds in the night time. **

**4. Hnefatafl was a popular board game from the Viking Age. Unfortunately the exact rules for the game have not survived, but we do know that Viking Gamers loved this particular game. **

**5. Pavlov is a Bulgarian surname, I think you can all guess who this couple is going to be related to in future :P **

**6. The god Freyr's weather and farming associations brought peace and pleasure to mankind. The goddess Iðunn kept apples that grant eternal youthfulness, Skaði was the Norse skiing goddess and Týr was a god associated with law and heroic glory in Norse mythology. Fenrir was a wolf as described here, but I've used artistic license to make him look more like Tyler, since he was Klaus's greatest rival for Caroline. Make of that what you will.**

**Please feel free to ask me questions if I've left anything out. Next week onwards I'll try updating more than just once a week. **

**Reviews are love, they really motivate me! :) **

_Christine Rose_


	3. Of Longhouses and Witches (Part 2)

**A/N:** **Sorry for the delay but thank you all once again for all the love! A special shout out to my guest reviewers, I cannot send you all replies but your comments are appreciated all the same :) Also, someone told me that pinkblueyellow92 recommended this fic on Tumblr, so I'd like to thank her for that! **

**Before this chapter, you'll need to know that lunds are something like sacred groves of the Vikings, where they used to engage in ritual worship or where their magical women practiced their craft. Enjoy! **

* * *

**Chapter Three: Of Longhouses and Witches (Part Two)**

_"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." ― Albert Camus_

Honey and snow- the dual hues swept across the secluded pocket of land where she was currently standing. An innocent sort of wonder blossomed in her heart as she beheld the untarnished beauty of the place; it truly appeared as if colossal sheets of stars had been spread across the landscape, though in this case the stars were actually ethereal, delicate flowers whose velvety petals shimmered in the morning light.

She turned in awe to Ayanna. "If I had known earlier that you work in paradise, I'd have tacked that ring on my finger much sooner!"

* * *

The morning had started unremarkably enough, with her grumbling incoherently and flailing her hands about uselessly, as someone shook her awake gently but persistently. She had rubbed her bleary eyes open and glowered at the unwanted presence, before she recognised Ayanna and promptly lurched up in embarrassment. _How could she forget where she was?_

"I'm very sorry for disturbing your sleep Caroline, but I thought to bring you some food."

"Oh please don't apologise, _I_ should be the one to say sorry, Ayanna; I do hope that I have not been a bother to you."

The other woman smiled. "No, of course not. I was hoping to be able to talk to you without an audience hanging about our every word, that's why I chose to wake you up after everyone had left the house. I settled things with Mikael and Esther yesterday; you may have to bear with them later on because they are in awe of your supposed divinity and Mikael himself wishes to do everything possible to make you feel welcome here."

She burst out laughing. "That is so surreal! But it's wonderful as well! Hopefully they won't see through my deception."

"I hope so too. Right now we are alone- Mikael went to the forge to make new weapons for his upcoming voyage, the Pavlovs are taking a stroll in the village, and Esther is combing Rebekah's hair outside where the rest of the children are playing…"

She interrupted her. "Oh yes, I totally forgot to ask you about that! In my time, we tend to have the impression that your people were all filthy savages, so I was most surprised to find you all so concerned about your appearances and personal hygiene. I didn't even know that you all use soap!"

Ayanna chuckled. "It is true, cleanliness is of great importance to all of us and we take immense pride in grooming ourselves to perfection. On Laugardagr, especially, all of us spend most of the day bathing and doing our laundry since it is our Washing Day. As for our soap, it is not simply used for bathing, but also to bleach our hair whenever we can."

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"I thought you knew. Blonde hair is highly sought after in our society; that's another reason why Mikael and Esther had no trouble believing that you are an álfar, since you have the prized hair colour."

"Wow, that's news to me! But in that case, isn't it disappointing for them that out of all their children, only Niklaus and Rebekah have inherited their golden hair?"

"I don't think Esther really cares about that. After all, she _is_ their mother and loves all of her children no matter the colour of their hair. Mikael is an entirely different story though. I know from what you mentioned yesterday that you're aware of Nik's true parentage. So yes, I believe that it does grate at Mikael that the only Mikaelson boy with blonde hair is not his son at all, and it simply serves as a visual reminder of Esther's infidelity. Unfortunately, this also contributes towards his hatred of the poor boy."

They both remained silent for a while.

"Well, this has certainly not been the best start to your morning! Please permit me to make amends. I completely forgot to give you this _(raising a thin piece of linen which was covering an earthen bowl on the bench nearby)_; it is a wild rabbit that I caught early this morning. I left it raw because I knew that you'd want to have its blood. Hopefully this will suffice for now. I shall provide you with another dress to change into once you've eaten."

That was so thoughtful of her! She beamed appreciatively at Ayanna before accepting the bowl of food. She had not caught the scent of the rabbit's blood before, perhaps because she was distracted while talking to Ayanna and also because she did not usually bother to _breathe_ since she was a vampire.

As she ate quietly, she listened to Ayanna's description of her duties in the village. Apparently, magical women like her were known as völur, and it fell upon them to negotiate with guardian spirits, the spirits of animals, the dead, or various deities whenever any villagers faced health crises. Thus, her kind had regular and frequent interactions with supernatural spirits.

She proposed that Caroline should follow her today (it seemed that the villagers sought her help daily in a lund, which was something like a sacred grove), and after she completed her day's work, she would try to break the spell on Caroline's ring and send her home.

"I see no problem with that plan, but I must ask you for a favour. I have only one set of undergarments and wish to wash them, so I was wondering if there was anything else I could wear in the meantime?"

Ayanna raised an eyebrow. "We do not really use undergarments here. Only the wealthiest amongst us, like Esther, sew linen underclothes for their personal use. However, I can provide you with linen cloths and you may utilise them however you wish."

She blushed and thanked her gratefully. After eating, she went to bathe and changed into an emerald dress of Ayanna's, before fastening a simple bone pin onto the matching cloak that she'd been given.

Once she was ready, Ayanna showed her a certain area in the Longhouse that had been set aside for her (it was close to the central hearth, marking the Mikaelsons' respect for her). She quickly placed the box with the marble slab and her Prom dress there, ensuring that the garment concealed the box from prying eyes, before Ayanna led her to the sacred grove.

* * *

They had walked through a ring of trees surrounding the lund, ending up here in this little piece of heaven. She sped past Ayanna to the centre of the grove and flung herself down among the flowers, looking around at the beautiful surroundings in pure delight.

"This place is seriously awesome! I'm so happy that we're going to spend the whole day here!"

Ayanna actually _giggled_ as she joined her, lying down on the grass and gazing up at the sky. "I love this place too; it's wonderful for me to be able to work here every day! After all, nature is where witches like me feel most comfortable."

"So you're just going to wait here until someone appears with a health complaint?"

"Yes, that's what I usually do. Although since you're here, we can talk about whatever you want before anyone comes along. I can't counter the spells on your ring yet anyway, because I don't want to risk someone spotting us and getting suspicious."

She grinned. "You're going to regret that offer! I have so many questions that I hardly know where to begin!"

"Start with the simplest one then."

"Let me see… where's Esther? I thought she was your apprentice and would be here too."

"She usually comes here only in the afternoons. She is the Chief's wife, so she has numerous other responsibilities to attend to in the mornings, such as solving the disputes or listening to the grievances of the women in the village. Mikael is also planning to embark on a sea journey soon, so she has the added burden of completing the weaving of the sails for his ship. She has been preparing them for over a year now."

"It really sounds like hard work! It's no wonder that she couldn't keep track of Nik yesterday, what with being so busy."

"Yes, I face the same problem with my girl. Dalla is Finn's age and she runs around with the boys all the time, making it extremely difficult for me to keep an eye on her. I'm hoping that she will stop being such a hoyden when she grows up."

"Don't worry; I'm sure she'll turn out just fine. That reminds me, Finn seems so quiet and withdrawn for such a small boy. Why is that?"

"I think the boy is simply shy and sensitive, so he doesn't really talk much to others. Esther worries about him, but she is so busy that oftentimes she simply leaves it up to the gods to take care of him along with her other children."

"I see." She picked a flower and idly plucked out its petals one by one, absorbed deeply in her whirling thoughts.

"Ayanna, I never understood why Mikael let Nik have his family name if he detested him so much. Why did he do that?"

"Ah, that is a long and sad story and he had a couple of reasons for what he did, but I'll tell you everything I know."

* * *

_I first met the Mikaelsons when they migrated here after the death of their first son Aaron. Esther was pregnant with Elijah at the time, and we became friends after I helped her with the baby's delivery. Slowly, I learnt that theirs was an arranged marriage, though it was not exactly devoid of love- Mikael had fallen for Esther from the moment he first laid eyes upon her. She, on the other hand, respected and cared for him, but it was never truly enough. _

_I feel sorry for Mikael sometimes; the man had been brought up in a military family where all the men took pride in fighting battles and setting sail on lengthy voyages, so he had no proper idea how to display tenderness and affection towards his beloved wife. _

_It so happened that he left for a long raid some time after Finn's birth. Esther started taking walks in the woods whenever the children were asleep, because the forest reminded her of her homeland. A few months after that, she came to me with distress and misery etched all over her face, all at once declaring that she had fallen in love with the chief of the nearby village. _

_I was aghast and couldn't bring myself to speak for several moments; we all knew that the accursed neighbouring village was infested by wolves, and I couldn't fathom how Esther could betray Mikael like that, especially when she already had two children with him. She was still my friend, however, so I tried convincing her to see reason and end the affair before it became too late. _

_How naïve I was! The worst was yet to come- Esther was carrying her lover's child. I was terrified for her. If Mikael found out what had happened, it was highly probable that he would kill both her and the child in his fury. I begged her to take a potion that I had brewed; it would get rid of the foetus and hopefully save her from Mikael's wrath, but she stubbornly refused to take it. _

_"This child is a symbol of my love," she told me. "I would die a thousand deaths rather than lose my baby. Let Mikael come, I will bear whatever punishment he metes out for this."_

_It was a time of complete madness. We were both so very young, and so very scared. I spent days praying to the goddesses Frigg and Freyja, singing ritual galdr-songs for the protection of both the mother and the child. Nik was born eight months later, a few days before Mikael was due to come home. Esther adored the child- often spending hours tracing his little fingers and toes, and humming soft lullabies to him. _

_When Mikael arrived, I think the entire village must have held its breath in anticipation. It was no secret that the child was not of his blood. Someone must have informed him of what had occurred, for the first thing he did was grab Esther's hand and lead both her and the new baby to the nearest outhouse before shutting the door behind them. I waited outside for a long time, anxious to find out what would happen. _

_The shadows were lengthening in the night sky long before he finally came out. I was shocked to see tears streaming down his face. He gave me a curt nod, and then strode off towards the Longhouse. I rushed inside the outhouse to find Esther and saw her weeping, hiding her face in her baby's neck. _

_She never told me anything about what exactly happened that day, but made me promise never to reveal the true identity of Nik's father under any circumstances. Following that, we were all stunned when Mikael chose to preside over the rites of birth of the child. In our culture, the child has to be recognised by the father of the household nine nights after birth. I think Mikael agreed to do this not only because of his love for Esther, but also because he wished to spite the real father of the child. He placed the infant on his knee while sitting on a traditional high seat, and water was sprinkled on the babe to represent his admittance into the family. _

_When the time came for him to name the child, Mikael proved that he was not willing to simply brush everything aside, and refused to call the baby Aaron according to Esther's wishes. Instead, he named him Niklaus after one of his ancestors who had been reviled for being a craven simpleton. _

_You may not understand the significance of this act, but we often name children after our forefathers or specific deities, since we believe that certain qualities are connected to certain names and that these traits will be carried on when the names are re-used by new generations. Thus, Mikael had his revenge by naming Esther's bastard son Niklaus. _

_Over time, Esther learnt to love Mikael and she even had Kol and Rebekah with him. I believe that he is content with her as well, but his happiness is always cut short whenever he catches sight of Nik, and that is when his temper takes a turn for the worst. That's why Esther tries to keep them apart as much as possible, and she restrains herself from being too affectionate with Nik in front of Mikael. _

* * *

That was a lot for her to take in. She had always imagined Mikael to be some kind of demon who abused his wife and children for no rhyme or reason, but this put things in a new perspective. She had never really taken the time to consider how hard it must be for someone to live with a formerly cheating spouse, let alone one who had a child as a result of the affair. It must have been hell for Mikael to be subjected to that, so it was unsurprising that he found it near impossible to love Nik like he did his other children.

Her thoughts were disrupted as a villager entered the grove, seeking a cure for the severe pain in his chest. The next few hours passed by at a snail's pace, as she observed Ayanna treat patients with poultices containing various herbs, or call upon the spirits to heal them as required.

Esther made an appearance about halfway into the afternoon, bringing some freshly cooked meat and vegetables with her. Caroline was amused when she noticed her reverent attitude towards her, but continued to play her part and ate the lunch provided. Esther told her that she was welcome to stay with them for as long as she wanted, and to feel free to ask them for anything she needed. She thanked her for her consideration and said that she would take her up on the kind offer.

The day passed pleasantly enough, and Esther left sometime in the evening to prepare dinner. Ayanna took the opportunity to cast a boundary spell around the lund, ensuring that nobody else would enter the grove that day. She then proceeded to take hold of Caroline's hand, closing her eyes and chanting some unintelligible mantras under her breath.

Suddenly, Caroline's hand burst into flames and she screamed in terror, quickly yanking it out of Ayanna's grasp and beating it on the ground to put out the fire. Ayanna's face was ashen when she glanced at her.

"I am _so_ sorry Caroline! Something is seriously wrong here but I can't figure it out, even the spirits are not helping me to reverse the enchantments on your ring. I think we need to take a break from this and try again another day."

All of her hopes had been dashed. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed in anguish, wanting more than anything in the world to flee from this terrible nightmare.

* * *

**I had a hard time with this chapter because most of the two parts were written after 4x20, which really drained my inspiration. Sorry for the lack of Askr and Embla, but hopefully it's come out fine in the end! **

**Now for the notes… **

**1. Lördag/Laugardagr translates into Washing Day in Old Norse, and is known as Saturn's Day or Saturday in English. In fact, most people are not aware that four days of the week are named after Norse gods- Tuesday is Tyr's Day, Wednesday is Odin's Day, Thursday is Thor's Day and Friday is Frigg or Freyja's Day. **

**2. Frigg is a major goddess in Norse paganism. She is said to be the wife of Odin, "foremost among the goddesses" and the queen of Asgard. **

**3. Some kind of shamanistic priesthood seems to have existed among the Vikings, focusing especially on magical women known as völur. These priests in the context of the Shamanistic ritual would advocate for human clients and act to restore or assure productive relations between the human community as a whole and the supernatural community, mainly through supernatural soul travel and quests. **

**4. The Vikings' love of blonde hair and the description of their birthing rituals in the chapter are all true. Additionally, putting the child on the knee of the father confirmed his or her status as a member of the clan and bestowed the rights connected to this status. The child could no longer be killed, or exposed by the parents, without its being considered murder. **

**Thank you all for reading, please don't forget to leave a review behind! :) I'd like to know if you think the pace of the story is ok, and I'm also going to leave out the love triangle so hope you're all happy! :) **

**Till next time,**

_Christine Rose_**  
**


	4. Chapter 4: Of Looms and Wolves

**A/N:**** Love to all of you! Terribly sorry for the delay, but my Fridays are getting busier so I'll have to start updating on weekends. **

**Anyways, before we start you'll need to know that Ragnarök is like the Norse version of the apocalypse; I'll provide more details at the bottom. Also, to add on to the notes from last chapter, Odin's wife Frigg has been described as having the power of prophecy, yet she does not reveal what she knows. Enjoy dearies! :) **

* * *

**Chapter Four: Of Looms and Wolves**

_"I thought about one of my favourite Sufi poems, which says that God long ago drew a circle in the sand exactly around the spot where you are standing right now. I was never not coming here. This was never not going to happen." ― Elizabeth Gilbert**  
**_

**oooo**

_"Enter, child."_

_She slipped through the ornate silver portal, turning quietly in a circle to gain her bearings. She was poised on a diaphanous ivory platform, marvelling at its ability to support her weight, while a myriad of foreign fragrances assaulted her nose simultaneously from all directions. _

_However, none of this was the reason why she suddenly dropped to her knees. The stirring celestial vision encircling her was what caused her to adopt such a devout posture - the churning amaranthine seas of the cosmos, where majestic planets and glowing moons surged along with the flow and ebb of endless waves of blazing stars, and comets and meteorites shot past in brilliant explosions of colour- all of which combined made her feel like an inconsequential drop of water in this frothing ocean of deep space. _

_"Rise, Embla. Come, sit by my side and do not pay any heed to our surroundings, perhaps then you will not be so overwhelmed." _

_Startled, she turned towards the owner of the rich, melodious voice, bowing once more in reverence as she beheld the goddess Frigg, wife of Odin and Mother of the Nine Worlds. The goddess was truly a shining paragon of beauty, with a bejewelled winged crown resting upon her glossy dark locks, and a silver girdle cinching resplendent white robes tight around her lush frame. Frigg was engaged in her favourite pastime of spinning gossamer clouds, but she paused for a moment and fixed a benevolent gaze on Embla, beckoning her once again to take a seat next to her. _

_She did as the goddess requested, watching her use an enormous wooden spinning wheel as she waited patiently for her to speak. _

_"You must be curious as to why I summoned you here, child?" _

_She hesitated. "I...It is an honour to be called into your presence, my Lady. The reason doesn't matter." _

_Frigg laughed out loud. "What a modest little human! You may speak your mind freely here, my dear; I do not plan on punishing you for inquisitiveness! And while we're at it, you may call me Mother. After all, my Lord considers himself to be your Father, although he does share that right with both his brothers." _

_"As you wish… Mother. I do not know why I have been called here, but I would very much like to find out." _

_"We will get there in time. First, we should get to know each other better. I was not present at the last feast thrown by my husband, but I learnt that both you and Askr were in attendance. Did you enjoy yourself, child?" _

_"Oh, I most certainly did, Mother! The sumptuous varieties of food there and the merry atmosphere were more than enough to satisfy me!" _

_"That sounds wonderful. Did you make any new acquaintances?" _

_"Well, there wasn't enough time to talk to every single person at the feast, but I did enjoy conversing with the goddess Skaði. She has so many interesting stories to tell!" _

_"I can imagine. I also seem to recall hearing that she introduced you to Fenrir." _

_She shifted uncomfortably, still disquieted whenever she remembered her first encounter with that sinister god. "Yes, I met him as well."_

_"And what do you make of him?"_

_Blinking in confusion, she tried to read Frigg's expression, but the goddess did not look up and continued spinning her clouds serenely. "He… he was polite when we were introduced to each other. I didn't really talk to him much, though, because immediately after that Askr and I left the feast and went home." _

_That was putting it mildly. Askr was used to other gods staring appreciatively at her whenever they travelled to Asgard, but something about Fenrir had rubbed him completely the wrong way. The god had continued to pin her with a lewd stare even after Askr had appeared beside her, blatantly ignoring the man as he told her that it was time they made their way home. Askr had taken her roughly that night, clearly agitated about the way the wolf god had been looking at her, and needing reassurance that she belonged only to him. _

_Frigg seemed to be deep in thought as she contemplated her answer; several moments passing by before she deigned to grant her a reply. _

_"Have you ever heard the story about my son Baldr, child?"_

_Well, _that_ was a surprising change of topic. "Yes Mother, I have. Everyone knows the tale of his… passing." _

_"Then you are aware that Loki was responsible for his death." _

_"Yes. I am so sorry for your loss."_

_"It is all in the past, but thank you for the sentiment. Let me come to the point. It has been prophesized that my beloved son will be reborn in the new world after Ragnarök. For that to occur, the wellbeing of both you and your husband is of utmost importance, since you will be the ones to repopulate the earth." _

_Her hands were becoming increasingly clammy as she twisted them nervously in her lap. "I still don't understand what you want, Mother." _

_"It is quite simple, really. I have the gift of foresight, but I do not usually reveal all that I can see because I prefer not to interfere with people's futures. In your case, however, I feel that I have the right to make a slight exception, since both you and Askr are special and there are infinite paths that your lives can take. I merely wish to ensure that you tread on the best path possible." _

_"What do you mean, Mother?"_

_"I am currently preparing the ultimate protection for both of you. Sometime in the near future, you will be in grave danger from someone you know, danger that could possibly end your life. I think deep down in your heart, you are already aware of who will pose such a threat to you." _

Fenrir. _Her head pounded painfully as she regarded the goddess with dread, hardly knowing what to say. "What should we _do_, Mother? How can we be rid of this threat?" _

_"I am sorry, my child. I cannot help you with that." She stopped spinning for a second and stroked Embla's hair gently with one hand, her gaze brimming with pity. "However, I shall make you one promise. If you die, you shall not be sent to Hel like my son, for that would prevent you from ever being born again. Instead, Freyja has agreed to take you to Fólkvangr, where you will await the time for your reincarnation. You do not need to worry about Askr, of course; Odin will definitely take him to Valhalla." _

_"I know that Askr will be fine, but why would the goddess Freyja choose to help me? I am no warrior, and she always takes only those who perish in combat to Fólkvangr." _

_"That does not matter; you may not be part of a physical battle, but your role in the eternal war for the good of all our futures is enough to guarantee you a place in her abode. Besides, she has a deep-seated hatred of Loki and all the members of his family, so trust me when I say that she will be most happy to aid us in thwarting any of their plans as far as possible." _

_"Thank you, Mother. Your words have filled me with great relief." _

_"Do not thank me yet, child. The future remains uncertain. I will grant you one more boon, however. An álfar of my companion Eir (the goddess of healing) shall be born upon earth and in her mortal form guide your reincarnated self in the right direction, so that we can all be saved when Ragnarök comes to pass." _

* * *

She felt increasingly worn out as the days passed; even the long hours of uninterrupted daily sleep were proving useless in reviving her. She was somewhat aware of the strange dreams she experienced at night, but whenever she attempted to recall any of them, all that she could perceive were blank spots in her head. It was extremely frustrating, and the only thing the dreams seemed to achieve was to put her on edge with an excruciating headache.

On top of that, she was very concerned about Ayanna. Two days had flown by after the incident in the lund, but the witch continued to lie in bed at the Longhouse, stating that the spell she had performed on the ring had drained her of all her energy and that she did not know how long it would take for her to recover. They had both lied to the Mikaelsons, claiming that Ayanna was exhausted after healing so many people, and that she merely needed a short break from her duties. In the meantime, Esther had volunteered to take up her work in the lund.

Therefore, Caroline's days now mostly consisted of taking care of Ayanna and aiding Esther with some small tasks, besides playing with all of the children whenever she was free. It was not the most scintillating of times, but she was still grateful to be considered a guest of the Mikaelsons, which automatically exempted her from being burdened with heavy duties like the other women in the village.

However, she still tried to make herself as useful as possible and not take undue advantage of the Mikaelsons' hospitality. She knew that she excelled at organising and executing projects, so she desperately sought new missions to distract her from all her problems. One of the biggest difficulties she had experienced so far was the lack of technology in this place. She especially missed her neat little handphone, surprising herself when she realised just how much she used to depend upon it.

She was determined to wean herself off all such addictions, however, and mentally kept on giving herself regular pep talks along the lines of '_That's right, Caroline Beula Forbes, you get into your Katniss Everdeen survival mode _right now_ and show everyone how independent you are!'_ It was the least she could do to prevent herself from breaking under all this pressure.

The irony of it was that this situation mirrored what she and Tyler had been planning to do some time back, when they decided to run away together from Mystic Falls. True, she would not have been travelling alone then, and they would probably have had an easier time on the run since they were surrounded by the comforts of modern technology, but she would have still faced this same problem of being cut off from her family and friends, forced to adjust to a new environment and learning how to survive there. It was unbelievable just how naïve they had been back then, confident that it would be an effortless task to take on the world all by themselves!

She had definitely outgrown that phase of her life, though, and recognised that she had to behave in a more practical manner now. The day after she visited the sacred grove turned out to be Laugardagr; thanks to Ayanna she was already aware that it was the Vikings' Washing Day. As Ayanna rested in the Longhouse, she followed Esther, Emiliya Pavlov and some of the children to the hot springs near the village, where only women and young children under the age of six were allowed to bathe and wash their clothes. Elijah and Finn, therefore, had gone with Mikael and Vasil Pavlov to the men's hot pools some distance away. She had been very excited to see the hot springs because they did not exist in Mystic Falls in her time.

As Esther bathed Rebekah and Kol, Caroline joined Emiliya in keeping an eye on Nik and Dalla, who were busy having fun splashing around in the water. Emiliya was very sweet and reminded her a lot of Bonnie's Grams.

"You are _so_ very beautiful! Esther told Vasil and me about you and I'm so happy to finally get the chance to talk to an álfar of Freyja! I didn't trouble you during our evening meal yesterday, though, because you and Ayanna looked very tired."

"Thank you so much! That was very kind of you, Emiliya. If you don't mind my asking, since how long have you and your husband been staying with the Mikaelsons?"

"Oh, we have known Esther since she was a child, but we only started living with them when they came here from their homeland. We ourselves left our home in Bulgaria long ago, because we were among the few people there who refused to convert to Christianity and had no choice but to leave our home in order to protect ourselves."

"That must have been horrible!"

"Yes, we wandered about like a couple of lost souls for a few years, homeless and friendless. Thankfully, we then found a home in the land of Jorvik, where Vasil incidentally learnt how to play his now favourite game Hnefatafl, and all was well after that."

"Does it get any easier to stop missing your native place over time?"

"The pain of leaving does fade gradually as the years pass, but there will always be a small sense of longing in your heart for all that you have lost. The trick is to make a new home for yourself wherever you are. Life is short and should not be filled only with regrets."

That was some sage advice indeed. She took Emiliya's words to heart and decided that from that day forth, she would do her best to immerse herself in the local culture. After all, there was no saying when Ayanna would be up to helping her once more, so in the meantime she had to make the best of her circumstances.

The very same afternoon, she approached Esther for help in learning how to make clothes for herself. She felt extremely guilty about using Ayanna's dresses for so long, and wished to rectify that situation immediately. Luckily, Ayanna assured her that Esther had yet to unlock her full magical potential, so she would be unable to make out anything about Caroline's past or future if she touched her hands while teaching her, thus there was no threat of her cover being blown if that happened.

Esther was most happy to help, though she found it funny that a divine being like her had no idea how to sew. She showed Caroline a warp weighted-loom set up against the wall at one end of the Longhouse where the latter had never been before; it was here that Esther herself had previously been weaving sails for Mikael's Viking ships.

She taught her the basics of handling the loom and Caroline was amused to discover that even in this time, scissors, needles and pins made of iron and bone actually existed. Later on, Esther gifted her with a small cylindrical holder in which she could store these objects; she informed her that these containers were often hung down from women's brooches so that they could carry them everywhere in case of emergencies.

The older children were not interested to participate in what they deemed to be an extremely tedious chore, but the younger ones, namely Nik, Kol and Rebekah, were most fascinated to watch Caroline train in the fine art of dressmaking.

"Red! Red!" Rebekah insisted on being the ultimate decider of a suitable colour for Caroline's first dress. The latter was not really paying her much attention though; too busy laughing her head off at Kol. The little fiend had somehow managed to upset a whole basket of sewing materials on top of himself, and Esther was giving him a sound scolding for butting his head into places where it didn't belong.

While all of this was going on, Nik took the opportunity to jump up onto the bench next to Caroline. "What did you do yesterday? I didn't see you the _whole_ day, and when you and Ayanna came back for dinner, you only talked for a short while with my parents before you went to sleep."

"Sorry Nik, but I was very tired last night. Ayanna had taken me to the lund so that I could watch her heal the villagers, and we basically spent the entire day there."

"Oh, that doesn't sound like it was much fun… _(Giving her a sympathetic stare)_… I know! Why don't you join Elijah, Finn, Dalla and me tomorrow? Mother will be giving us some runic lessons in the morning, but after that the four of us are going to explore some caves that Elijah discovered nearby. _(Whispering)_ We'll have to leave the two babies behind, of course."

She laughed softly to herself; he himself was still just a baby! "That is an excellent plan, Nik! Thank you for the kind invitation!"

He beamed, surprising her with a spontaneous hug which caused her to lose her balance and fall back on the bench. She let out an indignant yelp as she inadvertently pricked her palm with stray needles. Everyone turned to look at her, gaping in shock before all of their voices broke out simultaneously.

"NIKLAUS! Look at what you've done, you foolish boy! I hope you've not been badly hurt, Caroline."

"I'm so sorry Caroline! I didn't mean to injure you! Are you alright?"

"Care! Care!"

She put her hand up, her ears ringing with all of the sudden noise. "Please stop worrying, _all _of you! I'm perfectly fine! See, I'm not even bleeding anymore."

There was a sudden hush when they all realised she was speaking the truth. She wanted to kick herself for being such an idiot; she had forgotten that they knew nothing about the magical healing properties of her skin! She quickly decided to provide them with a grey lie instead.

"I'm immortal, remember? So it's impossible for anything to hurt me!" Well, that was the closest she would bring them to the truth, conveniently omitting the part about how she could be killed if wooden stakes were plunged into her heart, or how the removal of her daylight ring would cause her to burn in the sun.

"That's amazing!" The children all looked very impressed. Even Esther seemed fascinated by this remarkable revelation. She blushed deeply and tried to change the subject.

* * *

The next morning, she accompanied the four oldest children to their lessons with Esther. Ayanna had assured her that she would be fine by herself, instead encouraging her to seize the opportunity to pick up the handy skill of rune carving. Thanks to the diamond ring, Caroline was able to easily absorb the meanings of runes (like the ones on the marble slab), as they automatically translated into plain English in her brain, but Ayanna felt that it was also important for her to be able to write using these symbols.

Thus, she gave Esther the somewhat flimsy excuse that she had not carved any runes for a very long time, and that she hoped to brush up on her runic knowledge. Fortunately, Esther seemed to accept her explanation and told her to take a seat with the others. She sat in between Elijah and Nik, and proceeded to learn all about the Futharks- the basic runic alphabets.

Years later, she would say that this was the time when she first truly appreciated the profound attraction that bound her to Niklaus Mikaelson, although this understanding itself was triggered by a surprisingly small incident.

In the middle of lessons, Esther had provided all of them with flat stones on which to practice carving whatever runes they liked; and Caroline was busy trying to engrave the newest rune she had learnt- Dagaz, the main meaning of which was hope or happiness- on her stone. However, she was distracted from accomplishing this when Nik tugged insistently on her hand.

"Look at what I carved for you, Caroline!"

She looked, and didn't quite know whether to laugh or cry in despair. The boy had carved the rune Ar, which mainly symbolized beauty and the power of the sun, and it was clear that he meant it as a great compliment to her.

Outwardly, she gazed intently at the rune, although privately she was mostly regretting the fact that she had severely underestimated him back in her time. It seemed that Klaus fancied her no matter how old he was, and even if this time his crush on her was of a more innocent nature, she was truly sorry that she had shut her eyes to this simple fact earlier- that she would always be his first choice, whatever his age and whatever the circumstances. Her acceptance of this knowledge engulfed her with a bittersweet feeling; all this time, she had been so busy focusing on getting Elena and Stefan together, that she had sadly remained blind to the possibility of creating her own epic romance.

She sighed softly, realising that she had thrown away her chance to find happiness with Klaus before. However, she vowed not to repeat her mistakes in this time and place; even if she could not possibly pursue a romantic relationship with Nik here, she would at least attempt to form a lasting friendship with the young boy, starting from now.

"Thank you Nik! That is truly a lovely carving!"

* * *

Later on in the afternoon, the five students made their way to the caves which Nik had told her about. She was not too surprised to see that they were the same caves in which Elijah had once trapped human Elena, and where Esther's coffin had been kept hidden from Klaus. After all, some things do remain the same!

She had a fabulous time there. Elijah had surprised her with his playfulness (mostly because she only remembered him in his stuffy suit and tie avatar), when he proposed a rowdy game of hide and seek (although that wasn't really the name that he gave the game!). As the only girls among the players, she and Dalla had quickly formed an alliance, finding good places to hide together and giggling all the while. She thoroughly enjoyed herself, and it all helped her to forget her troubles for a while.

But that was yesterday. Today was a different story; her head pounded with every step she took. She decided to secretly go to the woods where she had first met Nik (although she wouldn't go _too_ far away from the village; after all, she was in no mood to meet any of the werewolves again), and try to find fresh prey to sate her bloodlust. Ayanna had told her that there was a lack of huge animals in the forest because of the presence of the wolves; therefore she would have to make do with whatever rabbits or birds she could catch.

It was a nasty piece of business, but she dearly hoped that having her fill of blood would help in alleviating her crushing headache. As she walked towards the forest, she turned around for a few seconds when she reached the edge of the village, silently surveying the place where she suspected she would have to stay for quite some time. The surroundings were beautiful enough all right, but all she wanted was still just a way to go back home.

* * *

_"Would you like to have some more wine, Master?"_

_A deep, menacing growl emerged from the shadows. "NO, you damned fool! I told you to leave, didn't I? Do you want me to rip your heart out before you get the message?"_

_The terrified servant raced out of the room without another word. _

_The shadows rippled as _He _moved towards the sole window in the room, looking up at the crescent moon hung upon a cloudless night sky. He hummed softly to himself. _

_"Shame that of a beauty so fair,_

_I was fully unaware,_

_But now Embla shall be mine,_

_That I solemnly declare!"_

* * *

**Hahaha please forgive me for the silly verse at the end, I know it's terrible! :P Anyway, there were lots of images floating through my mind for this chapter and making it very dear to me, so I really hope you enjoyed it! :) **

**Here come the notes:**

**1. Frigg is the mother of Baldr, whose death is seen as the first in a chain of events which will ultimately lead to the destruction of the gods at Ragnarök. Baldr will be reborn in the new world, according to Völuspá. **

**2. Völuspá is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. It tells the story of the creation of the world and its coming end, related by a völva addressing Odin. It is one of the most important primary sources for the study of Norse mythology. **

**3. Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water. Afterward, the world will resurface anew and fertile, the surviving and returning gods will meet, and the world will be repopulated by two human survivors. Ragnarök is an important event in the Norse canon, and has been the subject of scholarly discourse and theory. **

**4. For the first part of the chapter, you can search for 'Frigg spinning the clouds' on Google to get a better image of what I'm describing.**

**5. Eir is a companion of Frigg and a goddess associated with medical skills. You can make your own guesses as to who the álfar mentioned by Frigg is in her mortal form. **

**6. In Norse mythology, Fólkvangr is a meadow or field ruled over by the goddess Freyja where half of those that die in combat go upon death, while the other half go to the god Odin in Valhalla (mostly legendary heroes and kings).**

**7. The story of Baldr's death goes like this: He had a dream of his own death and his mother had the same dreams. Since dreams were usually prophetic, this depressed him, so his mother Frigg made every object on earth vow never to hurt Baldr. All objects made this vow except mistletoe.**

**Frigg had thought it too unimportant and nonthreatening to bother asking it to make the vow (alternatively, it seemed too young to swear). When Loki, the mischief-maker, heard of this, he made a magical spear from this plant (in some later versions, an arrow). He hurried to the place where the gods were indulging in their new pastime of hurling objects at Baldr, which would bounce off without harming him. Loki gave the spear to Baldr's brother, the blind god Höðr, who then inadvertently killed his brother with it. **

**Upon Frigg's entreaties, delivered through the messenger Hermod, Hel promised to release Baldr from the underworld if all objects alive and dead would weep for him. All did, except a giantess, Þökk, often presumed to be the god Loki in disguise, who refused to mourn the slain god. Thus Baldr had to remain in the underworld, not to emerge until after Ragnarök, when he and his brother Höðr would be reconciled and rule the new earth together with Thor's sons. **

**8. It is well known that the goddess Freyja hated Loki because he once stole her treasured golden necklace, so that's why she would be willing to help Frigg protect Embla. **

**9. The 10th century was about the time when the First Bulgarian Empire had converted to Christianity, so the Pavlovs would have saved themselves by fleeing to Jorvik, which is modern day York in England. **

**10. I assume that Caroline arrived in the past on a Thursday, which was the same day as her Prom. So Friday was when she went to the lund, and now I've described how her weekend went about. Next chapter we'll come back to her present- Monday. **

**11. Runes have various meanings when used in different ways, so I'm definitely no expert in them. **

**I think that covers about everything, thank you so much for reading! Reviews would be much appreciated! :) **

**Yours,**

_Christine Rose_**  
**


	5. Questions & Answers

**A/N:**** Hi guys! :) **

**Thank you for all the wonderful support so far! I'm taking an impromptu getaway trip to Bali today with a few schoolmates; unfortunately I won't be taking my laptop with me so I'll have to delay the next chapter for a few days. However, I promise to give you a double update next week! (Probably one on Wednesday and another during the weekend.) **

**In the meantime, I want to take this opportunity to answer two questions that reviewers have asked me, just in case any of you have similar queries but have not voiced them out. **

**For chapter 2, bunnykay asked me: **How come she was sent to where he was a kid? & is Finn gonna play a part in this story? I just felt from you writing he feels no one loves him to Caroline showing up then that she is there to care for Finn as a kid.

**I'll expand upon my original reply to her here: **Yes, I thought about how to justify Nik's age (the whole 5 year old thing) when I first planned this story, so I'm going to include an explanation for that in a later chapter... not sure which one exactly because I only have brief outlines at the moment, but Caroline is definitely going to learn more about what she's gotten herself involved in along the way, and that's when you will all find out as well. In addition, she'll also have to resolve the issue of her infertility, which will prove to be a big problem since technically she is supposed to repopulate the world with Nik.

As for Finn, I do want to develop his character further so Caroline will probably end up being a sister figure for him. I think I mentioned in the first chapter that this is a rewriting of history, so I'd like to make her get to know the Mikaelson family better and introduce her to their family dynamics. It may be a slow process though, so I hope you'll all bear with me while I work through all the kinks.

**For chapter 4, guest reviewer ilovetvd commented: **u n ur fics are an exercise in norse myth n leegends! thnk u for educating me!

u knw, not to sound like a pervert, but u hv never written abt askr-embla's intimate moments together...i mean it wud b diffrerent considering they r the first humans and they kinda originated the sex thing according to ur fic...can we hv a memory part of theri first time? coz i still remember the embarassing moment wen they were both naked after being born...

plz i m nt a pervert, n the fact that i own norse mythology texts shud account for soemthing :)

**Here's my reply:** First of all, thank you so much for the kind review! :) I'm really glad to hear that you're enjoying all the Norse mythology incorporated into the story!

I think you asked a perfectly valid question. I do plan on including both Klaroline smut and Askr-Embla's intimate moments in future chapters; I guess I've just been wary of including them so far since it's my first time writing a fic and I really don't want to mess it up!

I also prefer to ensure that such scenes will not be meaningless, but will contribute towards the story whenever I choose to incorporate them into it, so please be patient with me and keep reading; I'll definitely be including them soon enough (even Askr-Embla's first time together)!

**Please feel free to ask me any more questions that you all have, and I'll answer them as soon as possible! :) I will take down this Author's Note when I post the next chapter… until then, hope you all have a great week ahead! :) **

**Cheers, **_Christine Rose _


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